Sunday night we decided to get that tree up and decorate. Some fantastic movie was on that the boys could barely tear themselves away from was on (Kung Fu Panda if you must know, and just just watched it on tv last week too) so it took forever to get them in the living room but we finally did and oh let the fun begin. I mean obviously, look at Warner’s face. It was hot in the family room because Shane likes to make raging fires and sweat us all out so two of the three boys weren’t wearing shirts. In December. Oh well.

Dylan was very serious about the whole process. He unwrapped all of our ornaments and laid them out on the couch and floor so all we had to do was grab and hang. I didn’t actually tell him he was helping do the boring part for me – wink wink-

I’m not sure why this is the only picture I have of the finished product because it is so blurry but there you have it. We threw some rope lights around the bottom because we only had clear lights on the tree and thought it needed just a little crazy jazz.

The other day Lincoln and I were drawing on the white board in the playroom and I tried drawing him and his brothers so he could see a few parts of the body. Unfortunately all he kept saying was “apple baby.” Do you see what he is talking about. Hey, at least he knew what an apple was.

Then he got everyone tangled up – or scribbled on… and his own face too.

Dylan made a Christmas tree out of flat toothpicks. We glued them on with white glue, let it dry and then painted with green paint. He was going to draw on the ornaments but he thought the star stickers would look cool and be easier.

Of course we wanted to start the season with the age old cotton ball beard Santa picture. I printed the template from here but just used it as a guide rather than a countdown like it was designed to be. I had to help Lincoln squeeze the glue out of the bottle because it was being a pain, but he stuck them all on himself.

Even Daddy got in there to help and Santa ended up with eyebrows.

Lincoln was so very proud and couldn’t wait to show it off. I’ve decided to let the boys display all their Christmas art on the door of our entryway closet so by the end of the holidays I’m sure we will have a pretty impressive gallery.

So I’m obviously not the fanciest food artist on the planet but I dreamt up this idea and thought it sounded fun. I’ve heard of chocolate covered frozen bananas so why not craft it up a bit. First grab some bananas and maybe 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl.

Stir the chips after 30 seconds and microwave for another 30 seconds. Cut the bananas so they have a flat bottom and carefully dip in chocolate until the top and sides have been covered.

Ok so they look a little like Elvis here but stick with me.

Attach Reeces pieces as eyes to the still melty chocolate and half of the orange ones as a beak. I also attached two orange ones as feet but they kept falling off because the chocolate got a little too hard and the picture started to look a little suggestive.

Then put the penguins in the freezer for about 20 minutes. I sprayed tin foil with pan spray to make sure they came off easily.

The boys ready to chow down. Everyone got a little chocolaty but it was fun.

We have decided that we wanted to have a crafty Christmas this year. I am making a few presents, we are decorating with things we’ve made and baking for the neighbors. Dylan informed me that he would like to have activities to do after school (yeah because he doesn’t learn enough and because I have so much free time), so I came up with a list of crafts or activities to do every week day until Christmas. We will also be making or eating yummy fun Christmasy types of snacks leading up to the holiday.

This is nothing fancy but I knew I didn’t want to spend money on mistletoe but they boys think it is so funny to get “trapped” under it until someone kisses you so I printed a coloring page off the internet and hung it in a main hallway type area. Of course the boys thought it would be clever to take a picture of all of them underneath it together.

Or if you give your baby a bite of pudding, he’ll grunt for another. Then when you give him another you will laugh out loud because he is so cute and realize that no one else is around and you kind of look like a lunatic laughing at your baby. Then because you are worried that you are turning into a lunatic you take out your camera to document the occasion because you think your husband might be sad he missed such a funny thing in your youngest and final child’s life. Then you keep wondering why your camera won’t take a picture, but it’s because you are still in video mode from taking a video of your baby sword fighting. Then you get the pictures, show your husband and realize that he thinks it’s cute but not as much as you hoped, so you get on your blog and share it with the world because you know someone else out there will appreciate the cuteness that is a baby with pudding face. Then you have more pudding.

I am thankful for the sweet voices of my children and the hilarious (to me) things they say. Lincoln has trouble pronouncing a few letter sounds still so when he says something as simple as I love you Uncle Josh is comes out “I huve you unka dosh.” He has special names for his brothers Bobie and Dub. He says things like “that’d be cool” and “dehicious” or delicious. When he is not telling me no or waking up in a cranky mood almost everything out of his mouth melts my heart. Dylan is actually getting witty in his 7 years of living and I’m not sure if he knows it yet. My mom is soon to be married and when I was talking to him he sang “first comes love, then comes marriage… and that’s where it stops.” Oh man I was laughing. Warner isn’t talking yet but his little coos and gigantic squeals are sure fun.

Day 26

I am thankful for coffee. Yes. I love it. I think I have a problem especially since I am still exclusively nursing Warner but I just can’t help myself. Plus Shane is an enabler. I’ve gotten past Starbucks and their magical draw since my lifestyle has changed but a carmel latte is still dear to my heart. It’s drip for this girl. Plus I love flavored creamer with my steaming warm cup of comfort. I would drink it all day if I could but I really try to keep it to 2 cups. Lincoln likes to think he likes it too. Please disregard the toilet paper wrist cuffs he has been wearing for two days straight. I think he thinks they have to do with boxing and punching is cool in his mind.

Day 27

I am thankful for Thanksgiving. Yes it’s a little cliché but the holiday really helps people around me be thankful which reminds me how much I really have. Plus it is a great holiday for food which we all know is something I am into. It is a time for the family to get together. Everything about the holiday smells good (except giblets cooking which is a little gaggy) from the pie to the turkey to the apple cinnamon candles I can’t seem to get enough of. Even the fall colors are dear to me. Plus there are cute little productions like this.

Day 28

I am thankful for the weather. I am not fond of rainy days on end but after all the wild fires we had this summer I swore to myself that I wouldn’t cures the rain… this winter at least. I am thankful that we do get warm sunny days in the middle of fall.. or is it winter technically yet? I am thankful for the peaceful serenity that new fallen snow has on my special neighborhood. I am thankful for the rain that means I don’t have to go out and water my plants. I am thankful that Ellensburg has all 4 seasons so I can enjoy each one and then get sick of it and wait for the next to come.

Day 29

I am thankful for clothing. I used to be a t-shirt and jeans every single day kind of girl. My mom said I went through a sweatshirt phase where she got a little worried for me. Thankfully now I appreciate trying to look good (most days when I have showered or I know that my husband will be around) and keeping myself comfortably clothed and modest enough. I am thankful that my boys aren’t fussy about what they wear and get dressed. Except Lincoln who has taken a liking to just wearing sneakers and basketball shorts around the house all day. I am thankful for fashion blogs like http://www.aintnomomjeans.com/ or this one about remixing the wardrobe you have, where I can read about how to try to look more put together even though I mainly just fix peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and pick up toys all day long. Plus I am thankful that I actually fit into the size 7 jeans I bought for myself online for Christmas and stressed for a week that I should have gotten a bigger size. Here are a couple pictures of me trying to look fashionable and then the boys basic uniform (even at 6 months) jeans and t-shirts.

Day 30

I am thankful for Christmas. It is a time to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a time to sing Christmas carols, decorate up the house, bake until our eyeballs fall out, to have marathon wrapping sessions, to have holiday parties and watch great movies. We have so many great ideas about Christmas that I am going to do a bunch of posts about that too. Yippie bring on the holly and mangers I’m ready to party!